Drapery traverse rod assembly



y 1954 H. s. ROSENBAUM DRAFERY TRAVERSE ROD ASSEMBLY Filed April 10, 1953 aiented July 20, 1954 OFFICE DRAPERY TRAVERSE R01) ASSEMBLY Harry S. Rosenbaum, Baltimore, Md, assignor to The Eastern Venetian Blind Company, Baltimore, Md, a corporation of Maryland Application April 10, 1953, Serial No. 347,976

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to a drapery traverse rod and particularly to such a rod which is telescopically adjustable in length and which includes separate tracks on each telescoping member for receiving slides to which the drapery may be attached.

In is an object of the present invention to provide simple and inexpensive adjustable traverse rod assembly which may be readily adjustecl to windows of various widths and may be installed without the application of specialized ssill.

In the drawings, there is shown a preferred but not necessarily the only form of the present invention. In said drawings:

Fig. l is an isometric view of a portion of a traverse rod constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a section along the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 33 in Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 1, generally hollow tubular sections H3 and I2 are shown in telescoping relationship, the view chosen showing only the inner central ends of the sections H) and i2 and showing them telescoped over a relatively short distance. i will be understood that the sections it and i2 be made of any desired length for attachment to window frames of various widths and that the two members may telescope upon one another to such an extent that a particular pair of telescoping rods may be used in openings varying from. a width just slightly greater than the length of one of the telescoping rods to a width just slightly less than twice such length.

For he purposes of illustration, it has been assinned that the rods it! and I2 have been extended to substantially the maximum amount.

The telescoping members It and i2 are respectively inner and outer members in the sense the the member H3 is so dimensioned as to be received lengthwise within the member ii. The members it and 52 may be made of sheet metal, for example, and may have any suitable crosssectional shape appropriate for imparting desi' ed strength and rigidity without unnecessary ht. Thus the member 50 may have a flatl tubular shape with the larger dimension extending in the direction in which the load will be applied, as is quite customary the conct metal relatively sharply upon itself. A i

track it is formed on the member H) by bending the sheet metal outwardly along the line 2c, upwardly along line 22 and downwardly through 180 along line 24, the latter bend defining a smooth rounded upper surface for the track It. The metal is bent upwardly through 180 along the line 25 to form a smooth rounded lower surface for the track IS. The lines 2% and 22 are so spaced as to define a generally horizontally disposed flange 21 which supports the track it in spaced relation with the body of the member i 3 so as to accommodate the track slides to be described hereinbelow.

The outer telescoping member [2 has substantially the same cross-sectional shape as the inner member it but of course is slightly larger in all directions in order that it may be telescoped over the member It. Thus, the outer member i2 is provided with flanges 28 and 38 which are not so tightly crimped as the flanges i land [6 of the member ill, but are left sufiiciently open to receive the flanges I4 and I6. The outer member i2 is provided with a track 32 which is formed by bending substantially as described above in connection with the track it on the inner telescoping member lil, The track 32, however, is formed on the lower portion of the member l2 so that when the members Ill and i2 are telescoped, as shown in Fig. 2, the track 32 will lie in the same vertical plane as the track is and will be vertically spaced therefrom by a distance sufiicient to accommodate the track slide to be described hereinbelow.

It thus will be apparent that the telescoping members H1 and i2 provide spaced upper and. lower tracks i8 and 32 which extend for the full lengths of each of the telescoping members and which will overlap in the central portion of the assembled structure as clearly'shown in Fig. 1. Thus, if the two halves of a pair of draperies are supported respectively by the tracks 58 and 32, they may be extended to meet in the center of the window irrespective of the relative telescoped positions of adjustment of the members it and 22, provided of course that the slides are so designed as to ride on the respective tracks without interference with the other track within the zone where the tracks overlap.

The present invention provides slides which are so designed as to ride upon the respective tracks without such interference and a particular feature of the present invention lies in the fact that identical slides may be used on both of the tracks and may be availed of to support both halves of the pair of draperies in the same vertical and horizontal planes irrespective of the fact that the tracks i8 and 32 are located in different horizontal planes. The advantage of this structure is that only one type of slide need be provided along with a pair of telescoping rods 40 and 12 for installing draperies or curtains.

Thus the drapery slides provided by the present invention may comprise body portions 36 preferably molded or otherwise shaped from a suitable plastic material to which certain simple metal parts may be attached for carrying the draperies. The slide bodies 36 are provided with internally grooved track-engaging portions including vertically spaced recesses 38 and M) which are so dimensioned as to receive either of the tracks 58 or 32. An opening 42 communicates with the recesses 38 and so to receive the track supporting flange 2! of the telescoping member ID as well as the corresponding track supporting flange (not numbered) formed upon the outer telescoping member H2. The slide bodies 36 thus may be positioned upon either of the tracks l8 or 32 by slipping them over one end of the track as will be readily apparent from an inspection of Figs. 1, 2 and 3. It is preferred to form the slide bodies 36 from nylon, ethyl cellulose or similar material which will slide easily along the tracks I8 or 32 without need for lubrication or attention.

Each of the slide bodies 36 is apertured to receive a suitable fastener 44 to which a drapery hanger 45 is secured. Preferably the hanger at is offset at 48 to position the lower end portion 50 beneath the tracks !8 and 32. Draperies may be attached to the hangers 48 by any suitable means and to this end the brackets are provided with apertures 52 to receive drapery hooks and the like. The fasteners 44 are preferably shouldered rivets to which the hangers 46 are secured and which may be turned in the bodies 35.

The slide bodies 38 are so dimensioned that the central axis of the fastener 44 lies substantially midway between the upper and lower tracks 18 and 32, whether the slide body 35 be positioned upon the track i8, as illustrated toward the left hand end of Fig. 1, or upon the track 32, as illustrated toward the right hand end of such figure. Thus, in assembling the slides with the telescoping members It and I2, it is only necessary to turn the slide bodies relative to the drapery hangers 46 so that the fasteners 44 will lie be tween the tracks 58 and 32 when the slides are positioned on either track. In either case, the axes of the fasteners 44 will lie in substantially the same horizontal plane and thus the drapery hangers ii: on both sides of the traverse red assembly will fall in the same horizontal and vertical planes. It will be observed in Fig. 1 that the innermost slide bodies 36 within the groups carried respectively by the tracks 38 and 32 will meet at the center of the telescoped structure and will thus bring the inner edges of the two halves of the pair of draperies together at this point. Obviously, so-called master slides may be substituted for the innermost slides shown herein if it is desired to have the inner edges of the draperies overlap when closed. Such master slides are provided with offset extension arms and form no part of the present invention.

From the above detailed description it will be apparent that a structure is provided in which a telescopically adjustable traverse rod with two entirely separate smooth and unbroken tracks may be assembled and adjusted to openings of a wide range of widths and draperies may be supported thereon for traversing movement by the use of identical slides appropriately positioned upon the two separate tracks.

I claim:

1. In a drapery traverse rod of the extension type the combination of an outer telescoping rod member, an inner telescoping rod member adapted to be received within said outer member, means on said outer member forming a track extending longitudinally and substantially the full length of said outer member, and means on said inner member forming a track extending longitudinally and substantially the full length of said inner member, said tracks being so positioned on said members respectively as to lie in the same vertical plane but in different horizontal planes when said members are assembled in telescoped relationship whereby portions of said tracks overlap in vertically spaced parallel relationship.

2. In a drapery traverse rod of the extension type the combination of an outer telescoping rod member, an inner telescoping rod member adapted to be received within said outer member, means on said outer member forming a track extending longitudhially and substantially the full length of said outer member, means on said inner member forming a track extending longitudinally and substantially the full length of said inner member, said tracks being so positioned on said members respectively as to lie in the same vertical plane but in different horizontal planes when said members are assembled in telescoped relationship whereby portions of said tracks overlap in vertically spaced parallel relationship, and a plurality of movable drapery holders on each track, each of said holders being made from identical parts comprising a slide body adapted to ride upon either of said tracks and a drapery hanger pivotally attached to said slide body, said parts being arranged in one relative position for use upon one of said tracks and another relative position for use upon the other of said tracks to position all of said drapery hangers in the same vertical and horizontal planes.

3. In a drapery traverse rod of the extension type the combination of an outer telescoping rod member, an inner telescoping rod member adapted to be received within said outer mem ber, means on said outer member forming a track extending longitudinally and substantially the full length of said outer member, means on said inner member forming a track extending longitudinally and substantially the full length of said inner member, said tracks being so positioned on said members respectively as to lie in the same vertical plane but in different horizontal planes when said members are assembled in telescoped relationship whereby portions of said tracks overlap in vertically spaced parallel relationship, and a plurality of movable drapery holders on each track, each of said holders being made from identical parts comprising a slide body adapted to ride upon either of said tracks, a drapery hanger and means for pivotally attaching said hanger to said slide body, said hanger being pivotally moved into position relative to said slide body for use upon one of said tracks and another relative position for use upon the other of said tracks to position all of said drapery hangers in the same vertical and horizontal planes.

4. A drapery traverse rod having separate upper and lower tracks extending longitudinally thereof in the same vertical plane and in verti cally spaced parallel relationship, a plurality of movable drapery holders on each track, each of said holders being made from identical parts comprising a slide body having a track engaging portion comprising vertically spaced slots adapted to receive either of said tracks and said slots having walls on either side of the track received thereby whereby said slide body may ride upon said track while being held against transverse movement relative thereto, and a drapery hanger attached to said slide body at a point spaced vertically from said track engaging slots, said holders being so positioned on the upper track that said points of attachment lie beneath said upper track and being so positioned on the lower track that said points of attachment lie above said lower track, and the spacing between said points of attachment and said track engaging slots being such that all of said points of attachment lie substantially midway of said upper and lower tracks.

5. A drapery traverse rod having separate upper and lower tracks extending longitudinally thereof in the same vertical plane and in vertically spaced parallel relationship, a plurality of movable drapery holders on each track, each of said holders being made from identical parts comprising a slide body having track engaging portion comprising vertically spaced slots adapted to receive either of said tracks and said slots having walls on either side of the track received thereby whereby said slide body may ride upon said track while being held against transverse movement relative thereto, and a drapery hanger pivotally attached to said slide body on an axis spaced vertically from said track engaging slots, said holders being so positioned on the upper track that the pivotal axes of said hangers lie beneath said upper track and being so positioned on the lower track that the pivotal axes of said hangers lie above said lower track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,942,712 Kirsch Jan. 9, 1934 2,222,229 Kahler Nov. 19, 1940 2,627,625 Kunath Feb. 10, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 553,553 Germany June 27, 1932 

